Catching Up With the New Head O' Meadow School Principal

Barbara Gasparine has always aspired to be an elementary school principal, so when the openings at Sandy Hook and Middle Gate schools went to other candidates, she thought her aspirations would have to wait some more.

But then Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson approached Gasparine with an opportunity to become principal of Head O' Meadow School.

"It was a surprise," said Gasparine, who last week officially got the job, replacing longtime principal Bill Bircher whom district officials said retired.

Gasparine, the former assistant principal at Sandy Hook School, said she knows little about Head O' Meadow but is eager to find out more, including meeting staff and students.

"The staff that I've met so far – I'm impressed," she said. "There is greatness here, and I want to be a part of it."

Gasparine said she is eager to meet staff because she is used to working as part of a team.

"My style is collaborative," she said.

Prior to her three years at Sandy Hook, Gasparine worked in the North Branford school district as a facilitator for language arts and lead teacher and language arts consultant at Jerome Harrison School.

Among some of her immediate priorities at Head O' Meadow School, she said, are to hire for the coming year, including an educational assistant for the computer lab and a half-time kindergarten teacher.

Gasparine said she also hopes to assemble an organizational structure at the school that fosters collaboration among teachers, specifically allowing teachers and staff with certain expertise in one area to share their knowledge with others.

"Organization structure is very important," she said.

In addition, Gasparine said she will put a focus on scheduling as a way to foster collaboration.

"The schedule is very important in terms of creating time for teachers to meet and collaborate," she said. "Those times can be done on a weekly basis."

Rather than limit teachers to short snippets of time that they can catch in between classes, Gasparine said her goal will be to leave about 30 to 40 minutes every week for teachers to consult with one another on students and curriculum as well exchange tips and other ideas.

Also, as a former language arts specialist, Gasparine said she hopes to bring her knowledge into the school.

"I definitely want to get involved," she said.